Maternal Mental Health is in Crisis
Anxiety, intrusive thoughts, postpartum depression, stress, lack of health resources and information, and isolation have increased in pregnant women and new moms. The impact poor maternal mental health has on a family and the community can be mitigated with a dedicated effort by the family, employer, and health plan payors.
Previa Alliance helps women navigate their unique journey to motherhood by providing the resources and support necessary to protect and strengthen their mental health. By working with employers and payors, we provide a way for companies to support employees’ well-being from pregnancy through the first year after delivery.
Maternal Mental Health Facts:
1-in-3 Women Affected by Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) is the number one complication of childbirth, occurring in 1 in 3 women in the post-Covid era. Postpartum depression can present at any time in the first year after childbirth, often coinciding with a return to work by the mother. Anxiety, depression, and intrusive thinking can occur at any point during pregnancy.
75% of Maternal Mental Health Issues Are Untreated
Along with being the most common, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are the costliest complications of pregnancy, but 75% go untreated. A 2017 research article published by the American Public Health Association stated that the cost of untreated PMADs is $14.2 billion, with employer health plans carrying most of the cost.
National Average of Societal Cost of Untreated PMADs is $35,500 (Birth to Age 5)
These societal costs include preterm birth, productivity loss, parental non-obstetric health expenditures, and child behavioral and/or developmental disorders.
“What remains surprising is 100% of these conditions (PMADs) respond to early interventions and/or treatment” (American Hospital Association, “Making Maternal Mental Health a Priority,” April 2022.)
What We Do
Previa Alliance is a maternal mental health company founded on personal experience with postpartum depression. Our primary goal is to educate women about maternal mental health, including providing regular depression screenings throughout pregnancy and the first year postpartum.
We partner with obstetrics providers and enroll their pregnant patients into the Previa Alliance program. The physician offices promote the program through materials placed in the office and by reminding patients to complete their screenings and take advantage of the learning resources available on our digital platform.
Previa Alliance also partners with mental health specialists trained in maternal mental health counseling. When requested or if indicated via screening, we have patient navigators that help connect women to mental health specialists for telehealth or in-person care. Our mental health specialists include licensed counselors as well as psychiatrists.
What We Offer Patients
- A digital and telehealth solution that decreases healthcare access barriers, stigma, biases, and time constraints of traditional healthcare.
- Timely text/email notifications that share relevant and educational videos/ podcasts based on the employees’ current pregnancy/postpartum status.
- Confidential teletherapy with mental health experts specialized in maternal care.
- Scheduled postpartum depression screenings with personalized score reports.
- Exclusive educational content and support on topics such as Lactation, NICU Hospitalization, Miscarriage, Loss, and Fertility Issues.
Ways We Support Providers:
Freedom to focus on physical obstetric care while ensuring that perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD) screenings are completed.
Evidenced-based education to patients regarding PMADs during pregnancy and postpartum.
Elimination of workload associated with navigating barriers to mental therapy care.
Collaborative approach to overall well-being via regular reports on patient screening and participation data.
How We Help Payors Achieve Star Ratings
Preventative Care
“Upstream” interventions for cost avoidance via confirmed screenings completed for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) as recommended by multiple healthcare organizations.
Patience Experience
Improved patient experience, satisfaction, and engagement via quality education, regular two-way communication, and multiple ways to engage and access care and learning.
Health Equity
Reduced health disparities by addressing factors contributing to health inequities, including eliminating access to care and stigma associated with mental health.
Care Management
Reliable interventions that improve access to care, ongoing management of mental health, and continuous screening for stressors that negatively impact physical and mental well-being from pregnancy through one-year postpartum. Results in reduction of instances of preterm birth, SIDS, maternal/infant mortality, and an over decrease in healthcare costs from mother/child to payor (improved ROI).
Partnership Model Approach
Previa Will::
- Develop marketing materials for use/distribution.
- Work with Payor to define, receive, and send necessary file feeds.
- Integrate a billing system solution with the payor to receive payments.
- Provide health data to the provider/payor for outcome measurement.
- Develop representatives to communicate and coordinate with providers.
Providers (OBGYN/Specialist/Mental Health Services) Will:
- Display marketing materials/promote PA services.
- Receive consent from patients to participate in the program.
Payor Will:
- Provide marketing materials about Previa Alliance to its provider network as part of the implementation plan.
- Work with Previa Alliance and provide communication and technical standards.
From an OB Provider’s Perspective:
“Previa Alliance has revolutionized how I provide care to my patients, ensuring they receive the holistic antepartum and postpartum mental health support they need. Before Previa Alliance, my patients with Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Screening (EPDS) scores of 10 or greater, and those with suicidal/homicidal thoughts in the past 7 days spent weeks waiting for appointments with counselors and psychiatrists. Moreover, they either didn’t qualify for hospital admission or wouldn’t agree to be admitted. In these very dangerous situations, I felt helpless as I was unable to provide essential pregnancy/postpartum care. All I could do was keep calling the mental health providers’ offices and checking in on the patients until they could get the care they needed.
Since integrating Previa Alliance into my practice, we have significantly improved patient outcomes and fostered a healthier patient population. The educational resources offered by Previa Alliance, such as the online video library, printable infographics, and checklists, enhance our ability to educate our patients about important aspects of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum mental health. This education not only empowers patients but also enables them to actively participate in their care.
It is clear to me that the therapy program offered by Previa Alliance is a crucial component of comprehensive care. I honestly don’t know how I would go back to practicing without it.”
– Sarah Aultman, MD
Our goal is to help by offering better screening care for postpartum depression
Previa Alliance is dedicated to improving maternal mental health by working directly with healthcare providers. Let’s talk about how we can help you and your patients. Contact us today.